Dyslexic Gift to Writers

ok as my first entry i wanted to write something that is very significant to me. It has effected me greatly through out my life and will for all my days to come.

I am Dyslexic. For those of you who don't know there are varying degrees of dylexia. i for one am able to read and write although it took me longer to get to this point then the average person.

I know it's weird that i want to become a writer since writing is one of my weaker skills. But i truely believe that it is the only thing that will make me happy.

Over the years i have come to view my disability as both a gift and a curse. It a curse for obvious reasons( i don't think i have to really explain why). By my Dyslexia is a gift because i believe it enhanses my ability to think out side the box. You've probably heard that when one sense is impaired the others become more sensitive. I think it's kinda like that when it comes to my Dyslexia.

Not that im some great undiscovered genius or anything. lol

anyway i guess i mainly wrote this blog because i wanted to see if there was anyone else out there who is like me. I have met other people with disabilties but never ones who also wanted to be a writer.

My girlfriend has dyslexia and it puts her off writing at all, even emails to close friends and colleagues at work, which, clearly, I think is very sad. I've asked her if she has any interest in writing and the response is "how could I, no one would understand me anyway?". This isn't a flat rejection and it's fairly universal to wish to put pen to paper at some point in your life (something to do with contribution and posterity I believe, as well as a more simple desire for creative leaching). How do you combat naysayers in this arena? What is your advice, aside from confidence? All writers take knocks, dyslexics no different. If you've got a good story to tell there are few barriers to telling it, and dyslexia ought'nt be one of them. Kind regards

There is nothing strange about wanting to be a writer when you have dyslexia. All dyslexia means is that you process written language differently than others. Signals get crossed, so to speak, when trying to read and write the way most people do. I know of an author who didn't read a book independently until she was fourteen because of her dyslexia. You probably already know the trick of using yellow or green paper when writing. On top of that, we have computer programs such as Kurzweil and Dragon Naturally Speaking, so there is nothing to stop anyone from being a writer.

You probably already know the trick of using yellow or green paper when writing.

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I've never heard this one and i've been a diagnosed dyslexic since I was in 2nd grade.

I am a dyslexic as well and wish very widely to be a writer, sad part with me is I also have dyscalculia, which can be associated with Dyslexia sometimes, it involves numbers and maps and getting lost cause you can't read the maps or analog clocks. This is also why I have a spell check embedded in my computer, because I often flip words or letters around without ever even noticing that I did it!! I also have a speech impediment where I talk extremely fast and stutter because my brain moves faster then my tongue and fingers can move. So I totally know what you mean about having it as a curse and a gift. A gift because, I had to work at it harder then most everyone I know, and because of that I am a stronger writer then a lot of my immediate people I know- however a curse because i have to CONTINUE working hard at it.

i think i heard something like that actually! i remember going for tests and i ended up getting glasses with blue lenses so that when i read all the pages were blue. those were cool glasses... i wonder where i put them.......

Hello dyslexic writers - wondering whether you might be interested in contributing something to RASPS next publication. RASP specialises in publishing and promoting dyslexic writers. At the moment, we are gathering momentum for a new publication around the theme of 'disobedience'. More information can be found here: http://on.fb.me/tRY2Rp